Encapsulation of oleophilic substances and compositions produced thereby

ABSTRACT

Multiple micro-encapsulations of a high concentration oleophilic substance using heat to set the primary particle renders the composition suitable for the production of free-flowing powders or beadlets. Microencapsulation involves forming an emulsion out of the oleophilic substance and a polymer, and then use heat setting and/or cross-linking the polymer encapsulates the oleophilic composition. This process is then repeated with a second polymer or third polymer, and with or without cross-linked via the same or different mechanism to further protect the oleophilic substance.

CROSS-REFERENCE APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/269,720, filed Jul. 1, 1994 now abandoned.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to encapsulation of oleophilic substances (as used herein the term "oleophilic" is to embrace fat- and oil-soluble substances as well as fats and oils), and to compositions produced by this process. In particular, the invention relates to the preparation of high potency, dry and free-flowing vitamin powders/beadlets using multiple microspheric and/or microencapsulation techniques.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Oleophilic substances, and in particular fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K, have had limited incorporation into dry materials because of their oil-like nature. Accordingly, oleophilic substances have tended to be macroencapsulated and delivered as units of coated oil. Unfortunately, however, such delivery drastically restricts the applications for which these oleophilic substances are suitable. For example, current commercial techniques can only produce concentrations of vitamin E which range up to 50% by weight.

The present invention overcomes the limitations inherent in the prior art encapsulation techniques and allows for production of high potency vitamins in a free flowing powder form. Such a form allows for delivery into multiple vitamin tablets or foods, such as cereal, and provides the advantages of reducing tablet size or the bulk required for subsequent delivery. Of particular interest is high potency Vitamin E in which Vitamin E forms greater than about 50% by weight of a dry powder or beadlet.

The prior art, as represented by Lim, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,419, issued Jun. 21, 1983, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference, describes the formation of an emulsion consisting of a continuous phase aqueous solution of an alkali metal alginate, and optionally, a water-soluble alcohol-insoluble filler such as a polysaccharide, and a dispersed phase of an oleophilic substance. The emulsion thus produced is then formed into droplets which are emersed into an alcoholic solution of multi-valent cations, to produce a water-insoluble shape-retaining alginate matrix filled with precipitated polysaccharide and enclosing plural oil droplets.

The Lim, et al. approach differs markedly from that of the subject invention in which an oleophilic substance is incorporated into a primary polymer containing solution, and then solidified under mixing conditions to encapsulate the fat-soluble substance and form an encapsulated fat-soluble composition. Through the use of mixing conditions in forming the primary particle, far greater concentrations of oleophilic substances relative to those achieved by Lim, et al. can be realized. As stated by Lim, et al., the amount of oil may range from between 1% up to nearly 30%. However, at the higher end of this range, the stability of the Lim, et al. oil-in-water emulsion is decreased and the quality of the Lim, et al. microcapsule is reduced.

Additionally, the Lim, et al. droplets need to be removed from the alcoholic solution and washed, or otherwise treated, to remove any residual alcohol, thus requiring extra production steps.

Another markedly different approach employed for encapsulating vitamin or mineral nutrients, such as thiamine, is described by Hall, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,778, issued Jan. 8, 1980, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

Hall, et al. describes encapsulation by fluidizing the nutrient in a gaseous stream and contacting the nutrient with finely atomized droplets of a coating solution. Nowhere, however, is the application of the Hall, et al. suggested for use with oleophilic substances.

As described below, the concentration of the oleophilic substance in the subject invention typically ranges from about 30% to about 90% based on the dry weight percentage of the final encapsulated oleophilic composition. These percentages are far superior to those described by Lim, et al., and form a major breakthrough over the current state of the art which only allows percentages of vitamin E to reach about 50%. Thus, the subject invention fulfills a long-felt need in the art for a high potency encapsulated oleophilic composition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a method for producing a composition which encapsulates an oleophilic substance. This method comprises incorporating an oleophilic substance into a primary polymer-containing solution, and solidifying the primary polymer under mixing conditions to encapsulate the oleophilic substance within the polymer and form the composition.

Typically, the primary polymer is a cellulose, such as methylcellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and the oleophilic substance is a fat-soluble vitamin, such as vitamin A, D, E, and K. Preferably, the concentration of the oleophilic substance ranges from about 30% to about 90% based on a dry weight percentage of the final encapsulated composition.

Also provided is a preferred method for producing a composition encapsulating an oleophilic substance. This method involves incorporating an oleophilic substance into a primary polymer-containing solution, solidifying the primary polymer under mixing conditions to encapsulate the oleophilic substance within the polymer and form a primary particle, and adding a secondary polymer under mixing conditions to further encapsulate at least one primary particle within the secondary polymer and form the composition (secondary particle). Of course, multiple primary particles may be encapsulated to form a single secondary particle, and the mixing conditions may vary between the first and second encapsulation.

As with the first method, the primary polymer is usually a cellulose, such as methylcellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. The secondary polymer is generally a cellulose, cellulose derivative, maltodextrin, such as a maltodextrin having a dextrose equivalent value of about 18, alginate, calcium lactate, acacia, gelatin, such as fish gelatin, or modified starch, such as hydroxypropyl starch or pregelatinized corn starch.

Preferred celluloses include methylcellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and preferred cellulose derivatives include hydropropylmethyl cellulose phthalate.

In a preferred embodiment, the secondary polymer is used to encapsulate the primary particle. Such encapsulation may be achieved by changing the pH, by adding a cross-linking agent, by heating, by spray drying, or by other suitable means. Example of cross-linking agents include sugar, acacia, cations, or gelatin.

Further provided by the subject invention are compositions produced by the above methods.

One composition encapsulating an oleophilic substance comprises an oleophilic substance, a first polymer which encapsulates the oleophilic substance to form a primary particle, and a second polymer which encapsulates at least one primary particle. The choices of primary and secondary polymers are as described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1--An illustration of a powder/beadlet showing the multi-microencapsulation structure formed in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2--A scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a vitamin E powder (X100).

FIG. 3--SEM of a vitamin E powder (X200).

FIG. 4--SEM of sectioned vitamin E powder (X100).

FIG. 5--SEM of sectioned vitamin E powder (X500).

FIG. 6--SEM of vitamin A-palmitate (X50).

FIG. 7--SEM of vitamin A-palmitate (X200).

FIG. 8--SEM of sectioned vitamin A-palmitate (X300).

FIG. 9--SEM of sectioned vitamin A-palmitate (X500).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention will now be described in terms of its preferred embodiments. These embodiments set forth to aid in the understanding of the invention, but are not to be construed as limiting. Throughout the specification, percentages are by weight percent and temperatures are ° C., unless noted otherwise.

One inventive aspect of the subject invention is the production of high potency (generally from about 30 to about 90 weight percent) fat-soluble vitamins (such as A, D, E and K) in the form of dry powders and/or beadlets.

These vitamin powders and/or beadlets can be prepared by (1) emulsifying vitamin oils (such as vitamins A, D, E or K) in a polymeric solution (such as a cellulose or cellulose derivative), (2) dispersing vitamins (present as crystals) in a polymeric solution to form a suspension, or (3) dissolving and/or diluting fat-soluble vitamins in oil, then emulsifying the vitamin-oil solution in a polymeric solution to form an emulsion. Typically, the polymeric solution will be an aqueous solution.

Then, after the emulsifying, dispersing, dissolving and/or diluting, the emulsion or suspension is heated to a polymeric setting temperature (typically greater than 50° C.) under mixing conditions to produce primary particles (e.g., microcapsules and/or microspheres). Alternatively, the polymer can be cross-linked. In each of these three above scenarios, the oleophilic substance is present as a liquid during at least a portion of the processing time, and typically throughout processing.

For ease in describing the subject invention, emulsifying, dispersing, dissolving and diluting will collectively be referred to as "incorporating."

The term "mixing conditions" refers to a state of imparted movement, such as that associated with stirring, shaking, agitating, jumbling, etc., which is vigorous enough to cause the emulsion or suspension to solidify as particles. Mixing conditions are readily determined by a skilled artisan who has read the present specification using known techniques, for example, by using an anchor stirrer, homogenizers, colloidal mills, microfluidizers, sonicators, or impellers (mechanical stirring). Particle size can be varied by changing the amount of imparted movement. For example, slow stirring will generally produce a larger particle size than will fast stirring. The examples which follow provide ample guidance for one skilled in the art to determine appropriate mixing conditions without undue experimentation.

Microcapsules are formed by a single encapsulation, whereas microspheres are conglomerates of multi-oil droplets embedded in a spherical or sphere-like matrix. The term "primary particle" as used herein refers to micro- and/or macro-particles produced by either heat inducing (setting), coacervating or cross-linking a polymer- containing emulsification. For convenience, cross-linking, coacervating and thermal setting will collectively be referred to as "solidifying."

Theoretically, preparation of oleophilic substances in a primary polymer-containing solution to form an emulsion or suspension can be performed at any temperature. However, the practical temperature range for this step depends on the nature of polymer chosen. For example, in preparing an HPMC emulsion, the preferred temperature should be between room temperature and no higher than 60° C. The skilled artisan is readily able to determine an acceptable temperature range based on the components chosen.

The solidification step for making the primary particles is physically determined by the mechanism and process temperature. For instance, if solidification is caused by cross-linking, such as with an alginate emulsion cross-linking with calcium ions, temperature may not be critical. That is, processing can be effected at any temperature. However, when HPMC is chosen as the main polymer for the primary particles, and heating is the main mechanism utilized to make primary particles, temperature becomes important and must be maintained above 60° C. throughout the whole process. Again, these parameters are determinable to the skilled artisan, having read the present disclosure.

Primary particles may then be further encapsulated with a secondary, or secondary and tertiary (depending on whether the primary particles are microcapsules or microspheres) polymeric layer(s) by the addition of a second polymer to the suspension followed by solidifying the second polymer (such as cross-linking by adding a cation, or by changing the pH) to form a secondary particle. The term "secondary particle" as used herein refers to a primary particle which has been further encapsulated or coated. The term "encapsulated" also includes the term "coated". Of course, multiple primary particles (at least 2) may be encapsulated or coated to form a single secondary particle.

Although the current method of production first solidifies the primary polymers by heating to form the primary particles and then simply coats or chemically cross-links the secondary polymers to form the secondary particles, alternate methods of solidifying may be utilized. Additionally, further encapsulations of the secondary particles, such as coating or polymerization around the secondary particles, may be effected.

Secondary and tertiary polymers are typically celluloses (e.g., methylcellulose or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose), cellulose derivatives (e.g., hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate), alginates (e.g., sodium alginate or propylene glycol alginate), modified starches (e.g., pregelatinized corn starch or hydroxypropyl starch), calcium lactate, gelatins (e.g., fish gelatin), maltodextrins (e.g., dextrin having about 18 dextrose equivalent value, D.E.=18), or acacias. The final mixture may be sprayed dried or processed by any suitable drying techniques to powder or beadlet form which has high potency, is dry and free-flowing, and is suitable for tableting or encapsulation within soft or hard gelatin capsules. Such powders may also be used in food, animal feed, or other pharmaceutical applications, such as premix, suspension and emulsion.

The addition of secondary and/or tertiary polymer onto the primary particles is based on the same principle as described above. The proper temperatures, pH ranges, and ionic strengths for adding the second and/or third polymer varies depending on the types of materials and mechanisms used.

Experimental Detail

EXAMPLE 1 High Potency Vitamin E Acetate Using Methocel E 15LV as the Primary Polymer, Sodium Alginate as the Second Polymer, and HPMC 6 cps as the Tertiary Polymer

    ______________________________________                    FORMULA IA  FORMULA IB     INGREDIENTS    %           %     ______________________________________     Vitamin E acetate                    75 + 2% overage.sup.1                                75 + 2% overage.sup.1     Methocel E 15LV.sup.2                    13.0        20.0     Kelton LV/CaCloride.sup.3                     2.0        2.0     Ratio 1:0.5     HPMC, 6 cps.sup.4                    10.0        3.0     ______________________________________      .sup.1 Overage is standard in the industry to ensure that the final      product contains at least the given percentage. Therefore, a 2% overage      was added.      .sup.2 Methocel E15LV refers to a special grade of hydroxypropyl      methylcellulose manufactured by Dow Chemical Co.      .sup.3 Keltone LV refers to the trade name for sodium alginate from the      Kelco, Division of Merck & Co. Inc.      .sup.4 HPMC, 6 cps refers to hydroxypropyl methylcellulose 2910, such as      that manufactured by SHIETSU Co. ("PHARMACOAT 606"). "Cps" is the      viscosity unit "centiopoise," is commonly referred to in the industry, an      is referenced throughout the specification.

PROCEDURE

1. Sodium alginate solution (5% w/w) was prepared in a 2 liter (l) beaker as follows:

    ______________________________________     Preparation of 5% sodium alginate     Time  Temperature                     Stirrer speed     (min.)           (° C.)                     (rpm)     Amount                                     Comments     ______________________________________     0     20                  1.27 l                                     Add water to beaker and                                     stir     5     20        1200      66.7 g                                     Add sodium al inate           25        2000            Heat suspension to 70°                                     C., and maintain temper-                                     ature and agitation until                                     the solution is used     ______________________________________

2. Calcium chloride solution (5% by weight) was prepared in a 1 l beaker as follows:

    ______________________________________     Preparation of 5% calcium chloride     Time  Temperature     (min.)           (° C.)                     Stirrer  Amount                                    Comment     ______________________________________     0               --       0.633 l                                    Add water to beaker     1               on       33.3 g                                    Add calcium chloride     2     22        on             Stir and maintain                                    temperature at 70° C. until                                    used     ______________________________________

3. HPMC, 6 cps solution (12% by weight) was prepared in a 5 l beaker as follows:

    ______________________________________     12% HPMC, 6 cps     Time  Temp.   Stirrer speed     (min.)           (° C.)                   (rpm)      Amount                                    Comments     ______________________________________      0    21                 2.45 l                                    Add water to beaker and                                    heat to 90° C     32    90      1000       0.5 kg                                    Slowly add HPMC 6 cps                                    powder with agitation     52    86       200             Addition completed                                    Remove heating source     82    91      1000       1.22 l                                    Rapidly add cold water                                    (rapid cooling)                                    Cool to room temperature                                    while maintaining gentle                                    agitation until use     ______________________________________

4. Methocel E15LV solution (10%) was prepared using the same procedure as described in step 3. Essentially, Methocel E15LV was dispersed in 90° C. water, stirred and then uniformly dissolved in the water while the temperature was cooled.

5. Vitamin E acetate (an oil) was added to the Methocel solution according to the above formula, and homogenized using a colloidal mill until an emulsion having the smallest possible oil droplet size was reached. Although average droplet size tends to vary, droplets less than about 3 μm in diameter are satisfactory for most uses. Typically, average droplets range between about 0.5 and 1 μm in diameter, even though smaller diameters are generally preferred. (During emulsification, a cooling system was applied to maintain the temperature at approximately 25° C.).

6. The emulsion was then heated to about 80-90° C. while mixing slowly (at about 200 r.p.m.) with an anchor stirrer.

7. Warm (70° C.) 5% alginate solution was then added and the mixture was mixed slowly (at about 200 revolutions per minute (r.p.m.) with an anchor stirrer) while maintaining temperature above 70° C.

8. The mixture was maintained at about 70° C. for approximately 15 minutes, and then cross-linked by adding 5% calcium chloride solution.

9.HPMC 6 cps 12% solution at room temperature (RT) was added in small aliquots while maintaining the temperature above 70° C.

10. Water was then added to adjust viscosity to less than about 2,000 cps (in this particular instance 1,000 cps) for spray drying.

11. The solution was then spray dried under conventional conditions.

A specific vitamin E emulsion was prepared in a FRYMA processing unit (homogenizer, different types of mixers, and cooling and heating system) manufactured by Fryma, Inc., as follows:

    __________________________________________________________________________     Preparation of the vitamin E emulsion and suspension     Time         Temp.             Anchor                 Colloidal     (min.)         (° C.)             stirrer                 mill Dissolver                           Amount                               Comments     __________________________________________________________________________     0   26  on  --   --   6.5 kg                               Add 10% Methocel solution to                               vessel     10  26  --  --   --   3.83 kg                               Add vitamin E acetate to above                               solution     18  27  on  on   on       Start emulsification     23      on  on   on       Sample 1: particle size of oil                               droplets 790 nm     28      on  on   on       Sample 2: particle size of oil                               droplets 713 nm     33      on  on   on       Sample 3: particle size of oil                               droplets 768 nm     33      on  --   --       Emulsification ended; begin heating                               to 85° C. and maintain a proper                               agitation throughout the whole                               process     110 35  on  --   --       Add sodium alginate solution (75° C.)     115 83  on  --   --       Mix 15 minutes     130 82  on  --   --       Add calcium chloride solution                               (75° C.)     132 85  on  --   --       Add HPMC 6 cps solution (75° C.)     145 85  on  --   --       Begin cooling     165 82  on  --   --       Mix at room temperature     195 22  on  --   --       Heat up to 75° C.     245 19  on  --   --       Measure viscosity: 4300 cps     255 73  on  --   --   2 l Add water to adjust viscosity to                               1000 cps     __________________________________________________________________________

Spray dry the above vitamin E suspension using a NIRO spray dryer; operation with air. This spray dryer is manufactured by Niro, Inc.

EXAMPLE 2A High Potency Vitamin E Acetate Using Methocel E15LV as the Primary Polymer and HPMCP HP-55S as the Secondary Polymer

    ______________________________________                  85%    80%    75%  70%   65%  50%     INGREDIENTS  E      E      E    E     E    E     ______________________________________     Vitamin E acetate                  85     80     75   70    65   50     Methocel E15LV                  10.0   13.4   16.7 20    23.4 33.4     HPMCP grade HP-55S*                  5.0    6.6    8.3  10    11.6 16.4     ______________________________________      Note: A 2% overage for Vitamin E acetate was used for each formula.      *To dissolve HPMCP, 4.5 ml of 0.5 N NaOH per gram of HPMCP was utilized.      Once HPMCP completely dissolved in the alkaline solution; water was added      to adjust the solution to 15% solid content.

PROCEDURE

1. HPMCP HP-55S solution (15% by weight) was prepared in a 100 l vessel as follows:

    ______________________________________     Preparation of 15% HPMCP HP 55s Solution     Time   Temp.     (min.) (° C.)                     Stirrer  Amount Comments     ______________________________________     0      16       on       14.94 l                                     Add water into the vessel     5      15       on       300 g  Add sodium hydroxide                                     slowly     10     16       on              Addition ended     15              on       3.32 kg                                     Add HPMCP HP-55S                                     powder to above solution                                     with agitation     35     14       on              Addition ended, start                                     heating     215    65       on       3.57 l Add 70° C. hot water                                     Stir the solution until     ______________________________________                                     use

2. Methocel E15LV solution (10%) was prepared as in Example 1.

3. Vitamin E acetate was added to the Methocel solution according to the above formulas and homogenized to produce an emulsion as in Example 1.

4. The resulting emulsion was heated to 80-90° C. with slow (200 r.p.m.) mixing with an anchor stirrer.

5. An amount of warm (70° C.) 15% HPMCP solution was added. The amount added corresponded to the amount recited in percentage table shown above.

6. The temperature of above mixture was kept at about 80° C. and cross-linked by adding HCl (0.1 N), with mixing, to shift the pH to approximately 5 (about 4.9-5.2).

7. The cross-linked solution was allowed to equilibrate for approximately 45 minutes.

8. The resulting cross-linked solution was then spray dried at the conditions shown below to form a powder.

    __________________________________________________________________________     Spray drying of the vitamin E suspension     The suspension was pumped from the FRYMA processing unit to the     spray tower by a gear pump and then atomized by a rot atomizer from Niro,     Inc.                          Set         Set Inlet             Inlet                 Set outlet                      Outlet                          Pressure                              Pressure                                  In at air     Time         Temp.             Temp.                 Temp.                      Temp.                          Tower                              Tower                                  flow in     (min.)         (° C.)             (° C.)                 (° C.)                      (° C.)                          in mbar                              in mbar                                  m3/n                                      Comments     __________________________________________________________________________      0  180     100      -5          Start up lower     50  180 181 100  101 -5  -3  1500                                      Start spray                                      drying     60  180 181 100  100 -5  -3  1500     62                               Spray drying                                      ended     __________________________________________________________________________

The "Set Pressure Tower" is the setting for the equilibrium condition in the dryer. In contrast, the "Pressure Tower" is the actual sure reached in the dryer during spray drying.

EXAMPLE 2B High Potency Vitamin E Acetate Using Methocel E15LV as the Primary Polymer and Fish Gelatin, Maltodextrin, Pregelatinized Corn Starch, Calcium Lactate, or Hydroxypropyl Starch as the Secondary Polymer

Following the procedure in Example 2A (with HPMCP being replaced by another secondary polymer), several different secondary

    __________________________________________________________________________               Fish      Preglatinized                                Calcium                                     Hydroxypropyl               Gelatin                    Maltrin                         Corn Starch                                Lactate                                     Starch     INGREDIENTS               75% E                    75% E                         75% E  75% E                                     75% E     __________________________________________________________________________     Vitamin E Acetate               75   75   75    75    75     Methocel E15LV               16.7 16.7 16.7  16.7  16.7     Fish Gelatin               8.3  --   --    --    --     Maltrin M180.sup.1               --   8.3  --    --    --     Pregelatinized Corn               --   --   8.3   --    --     Starch     Calcium Lactate               --   --   --    8.3   --     Hydroxypropyl Starch               --   --   --    --    8.3     __________________________________________________________________________      .sup.1 Brand of maltodextrin (D.E. = 18).

Analysis of the five secondary polymers provided the following results using standard test procedures:

    ______________________________________               Fish  Maltrin PreGel         HP               Gelatin                     M180    Starch  CaLactate                                            Starch     ______________________________________     Flow   sec./100 g                     27      23    28    17     39     (Agway)     Density            g/ml     0.34    0.39  0.33  0.50   0.34     Tapped g/ml     0.39    0.44  0.38  0.56   0.39     Density     Moisture            1.3      1.0     2.8   0.8   1.0     Color  W1E313   37.87   54.26 51.43 53.65  50.10            Y1E313   13.22   9.18  9.96  9.12   9.94     Static observed High    Medium                                   Low   Medium Very                                                High     Free Oil.sup.5            %        2.4     1.6   2.3   2.9    2.2     ______________________________________      .sup.5 Free Oil refers to the percentage of unencapsulated Vitamin E, and      was determined as follows:

Procedure for Measuring Free Oil on Powder Surface

Procedure for Preparing Sample Solution

1. Transfer 0.250 g of powder (vitamin E 75%) to a suitable container.

2. Add 43.0 g of light mineral oil (Fisher).

3. Shake on a mechanical shaker at medium speed for 15 minutes.

4. Pass through a 0.45 μm filter.

5. Measure the UV absorption of the filtrate at 285 nm to determine the abs(sample). Compare against known vitamin E acetate standard (Std).

Procedure for Preparing Standard Solution

1. Weigh 150 mg vitamin E oil standard in a suitable container.

2. Add 86.0 g light mineral oil to above container.

3. Mix using a mechical shaker at medium speed for 15 minutes.

4. Remove 2.5 g of above solution and transfer to an appropriate container.

5. Add 43.0 g of light mineral oil to the container and shake for an additional 15 minutes.

6. Measure the u.v. absorbtion of above solution at 285 nm to determine abs(Std.).

Calculations: ##EQU1## % Free Oil in powder (% unencapsulated vitamin E)=X/(0.25 ×0.75)×100

Procedure for Evaluating Powder Suitability for Tabletting

The powders of the subject invention are useful in producing antioxidant tablets. To demonstrate their suitability and tabletting performance in antioxidant tablets, tablets were prepared at 4,000 lb pressure using a rotary press.

    __________________________________________________________________________     TABLETTING PERFORMANCE OF VITAMIN E75% POWDERS IN     ANTIOXIDANT TABLETS AT 4000 LB PRESSURE USING ROTARY PRESS     __________________________________________________________________________     Ejection Force            lbs  47    40   41   38    43     Hardness Avg            scu  15    17.1 16.9 12.3  12.9     Range       11.7-16.9                       15.6-18.3                            15.8-18                                 11.1-13.6                                       11.8-13.6     Disintegration            minutes                 15    15   20   14    14     Friability            %    0.03  0.07 0.09 0.08  0.09     __________________________________________________________________________

The above results were obtained using the following antioxidant formula:

    __________________________________________________________________________     ANTIOXIDANT FORMULA     USING VITAMIN E57 BETATAB R AND C-90 GLOBAL                   claim                        %              kg/90 kg     Ingredients   tablet                        overage                             mg/tab                                  %    Batch     __________________________________________________________________________     BetaTab R 7.5%                    6 mg                        35   108  11.55                                       10.395     (Beta Carotene 7.5% Beadlets)     Vitamin C-90 Global                   250 mg                        5    292  31.23                                       28.107     Vitamin E 75% 200 IU                        5    280  29.95                                       26.955     Microcel C              97   10.37                                       9.333     (Calcium Silicate)     Avicel PH 102           56   5.99 5.373     (Microcrystalline cellulose)     Polyplasdone XL         97   10.37                                       9.333     (Crospovidone)     Cab-O-Sil               5    0.54 0.486     (Colloidal Silicon Dioxide)     TOTAL                   935  100  90     __________________________________________________________________________

EXAMPLE 3 High Potency E Formula III Containing Acacia

    ______________________________________     Ingredients        75% E   80% E     ______________________________________     1. Vitamin E Acetate                        75.0    80.0*     2. HPMC E15LV      15.0    12.0     3. Acacia          10.0    8.0     Total              100.0%  100.0%     ______________________________________      *Additional 2% overage was added.

PROCEDURE

1. Gum acacia solution (20% by weight) was prepared in a 4 l beaker as follows:

    ______________________________________     Preparation of 20% gum acacia     Time (min.)             Temp. (° C.)                       Stirrer  Amount                                      Comments     ______________________________________      0      21° C.                       on       2 l   Add water into beaker     151     39° C.                       on, slow 0.5 kg                                      Add gum acacia     175     36° C.                       on, fast       Addition completed     190     37° C.                       on, fast       Begin heating     208     63° C.                       on, slow     279     71° C.                       --             Add to emulsion     ______________________________________

2. 10% Methocel E 15LV solution was prepared as in Example 1.

3. Vitamin E acetate was added to Methocel solution according to the above formulas and homogenized to produce an emulsion as in Example 1.

4. The resulting emulsion was heated to 80-90° C. with slow (200 r.p.m.) agitation.

5. An appropriate amount of 20% acacia solution from step 1 was added.

6. The mixture from above was blended with gentle agitation for an additional 15 minutes while the temperature were maintained at 70-90° C.

7. Spray the vitamin E suspensions at the following conditions.

    __________________________________________________________________________     Spray drying of the vitamin E suspension     The suspension was pumped from the FRYMA processing unit to the spray     tower     by a gear pump and then atomized by a rot atomizer manufactured by Niro,     Inc.                          Set         Set Inlet             Inlet                 Set outlet                      Outlet                          Pressure                              Pressure                                  In at air     Time         Temp.             Temp.                 Temp.                      Temp.                          Tower                              Tower                                  flow in     (min.)         (° C.)             (° C.)                 (° C.)                      (° C.)                          in mbar                              in mbar                                  m3/n                                      Comments     __________________________________________________________________________      0  180     100      -5          Start up lower*     50  180 181 100  101 -5  -3  1500                                      Start spray                                      drying     60  180 181 100  100 -5  -3  1500     62                               Spray drying                                      ended     __________________________________________________________________________      *Shorthand for start up the spray dryer from a lower inlet temperature. I      is standard procedure to start up a spray dryer at low temperature, then      gradually increase the inlet temperature to reach a proper outlet      temperature, and to establish an equilibrium condition.

EXAMPLE 4 30 % Vitamin A Products Using Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose as the Primary Polymer, and Sodium Alginate, HPMCP HP-55, or Acacia as the Secondary Polymer

    ______________________________________     Ingredient     Formula I Formula II                                        Formula III     ______________________________________     Vitamin A Palmitate                    30.0 + 2.5*                              30.0 + 2.5*                                        30.0 + 2.5*     Butylated Hydroxyanisole                    1.0       1.0       1.0     (BHA)     Butylated Hydroxytoluene                    3.0       3.0       3.0     (BHT)     Methocel E15LV 50.8      42.4      50.8     HPMCP, HP-55S  --        21.1      --     Acacia         --        --        12.7     Sodium Alginate                    3.4       --        --     Calcium Chloride                    1.7       --        --     PHARMACOAT 606 7.6       --        --     ______________________________________      Note: *% Overage

PROCEDURE FORMULATION I

Composition

    ______________________________________     Material           content (%)                                  weight (kg)     ______________________________________     Vitamin A palmitate 1.7 MIU/g                        32.47     1.30     BHA                1         0.04     BHT                3         0.12     METHOCEL E15LV premium                        50.82     2.03     Sodium alginate    3.39      0.136     Calcium chloride   1.69      0.068     PHARMACOAT 606     7.62      0.305     ______________________________________

General

All the solutions were prepared using degassed deionized water under nitrogen. Vitamin A palmitate was shielded from light.

Preparation of a 12% solution of METHOCEL E15LV

Water (8 l) was heated to 85° C. METHOCEL E15LV powder (2.03 kg) was slowly added into the water while mixing with rapid agitation until a uniform suspension was obtained and thoroughly dispersed. Additional cold water (6.89 l) was quickly added to the suspension and the temperature was cooled to 25° C.

Preparation of a 5% solution of sodium alginate

Sodium alginate powder (0.136 kg) was added into 2.58 liters of cold water with proper agitation and heated to 80-90° C. The solution was kept at 70° C. until used.

Preparation of a 5% solution of calcium chloride

Calcium chloride (0.068 kg) was dissolved in 1.29 l of water. The solution was kept at room temperature until used.

Preparation of a 12% solution of PHARMACOAT 606

Water (0.75 l) was heated to 90° C. PHARMACOAT 606 powder (0.305 kg) was slowly added into the water while mixing with proper agitation until a uniform suspension was formed. Cold water (1.50 l) was added quickly to the suspension and the temperature was cooled to 25° C. The solution was maintained at room temperature with gentle agitation until used.

Preparation of the emulsion/suspension BHA (0.04 kg) and 0.12 kg BHT were added to 1.3 kg vitamin A palmitate and mixed until a clear solution was formed. The resulting solution was added to the METHOCEL E15LV solution and emulsified for 30 minutes with the colloidal mill. (The oil droplet size measured using a MALVERN Autosizer was 757 nm). The emulsion was then heated to 75° C. while slowly mixing (200 r.p.m.) with an anchor stir bar to form a suspension. The 70° C. sodium alginate solution was added to the suspension and stirred for 15 minutes. Calcium chloride solution was added, and the mixture was cooled. PHARMACOAT solution was added at room temperature and mixed for 10 minutes. The mixture was then heated to 65° C. while mixing slowly with an anchor stir bar. (the suspension had a viscosity of 11,400 cps/65° C.). The suspension was then diluted with 2 l hot water to adjust the viscosity to 2,500 cps/65° C.

Spray drying

See below (spray dry results are shown in FIGS. 6-9).

FORMULATION II

Composition

    ______________________________________     Material           content (%)                                  weight (kg)     ______________________________________     Vitamin A palmitate 1.7 MIU/g                        32.47     1.46     BHA                1         0.045     BHT                3         0.135     METHOCEL E15LV premium                        42.44     1.91     HPMCP 55           21.09     0.95     ______________________________________

General

All the solutions were prepared using degassed deionized water under nitrogen. Vitamin A palmitate was shielded from light.

Preparation of a 12% solution of METHOCEL E15LV

Water (8 l) was heated to 85° C. METHOCEL E15LV powder (2.03 kg) was slowly added into the water while mixing with rapid agitation until a uniform suspension was obtained and thoroughly dispersed. Additional cold water (6.89 l) was quickly added to the suspension and the temperature was cooled to 25° C.

Preparation of a 15% solution of HPMCP

HPMCP powder (0.95 kg) was added to 4.28 l of 0.5 N NaOH with proper agitation and heated to 70° C. Hot (70° C.) water (1.1 l) was added after the powder completely dissolved. The solution was kept at 70° C. until used.

Preparation of the emulsion/suspension

BHA (0.045 kg) and 0.135 kg BHT were added to 1.46 kg vitamin A palmitate and mixed until a clear solution was formed. The solution was added to the METHOCEL E solution and emulsified for 30 minutes using a colloidal mill. The oil droplet size measured using a particle size analyzer (MALVERN Autosizer 2C manufactured by Malverne Instruments, Inc.) was 888 nm. Then, the emulsion was heated to 75° C. while slowly stirring (200 r.p.m.) with an anchor stir bar to form a suspension. The 70° C. HPMCP solution was added to the suspension and continuously stirred with an anchor agitator. The pH was adjusted to 6.9 with 0.5 l of 1 N NaOH (pH before : 5.28). The resulting suspension had a viscosity of 500 cps/70° C.

Spray drying

See below.

FORMULATION III

Composition

    ______________________________________     Material           content (%)                                  weight (kg)     ______________________________________     Vitamin A palmitate 1.7 MIU/g                        32.47     1.46     BHA                1         0.045     BHF                3         0.135     METHOCEL E15LV premium                        50.82     2.29     Gum acacia         12.7      0.58     ______________________________________

General

All solutions were prepared using degassed deionized water under nitrogen. Vitamin A palmitate was shielded from light.

Preparation of a 10% solution of METHOCEL E

Water (6.2 l) was heated to 85° C. METHOCEL E15LV powder (2.29 kg) was slowly added into the water while mixing with rapid agitation until a uniform suspension was obtained. Additional cold water (14.41 l) was quickly added to the suspension and the temperature was cooled to 25° C.

Preparation of a 20% solution of gum acacia

Gum acacia powder (0.58 kg) was dissolved to 2.32 l cold water and heated to 70° C. The solution was kept at 70° C. until used.

Preparation of the emulsion/suspension

BHA (0.045 kg) and 0.135 BHT were added to 1.46 kg vitamin A palmitate and mixed until a clear solution was formed. The solution was added to the METHOCEL E solution and emulsified for 30 minutes with the colloidal mill. The oil droplet size measured using MALVERN Autosizer 2C was 854 nm. The emulsion was then heated to 75° C. while mixing with an anchor bar to form a suspension. The 70° C. gum acacia solution was added to the suspension and stirred with an anchor agitator. The pH was adjusted to 7.2 with 40 ml of 0.5 N NaOH (pH before: 6.37). The resulting suspension had a measured viscosity of 1060 cps/70° C.

Spray drying

See below.

Spray Drying Conditions for Formulations I, II and III

    __________________________________________________________________________           Feed          Inlet Air                              Outlet Air                                   Inlet                                        Wheel     Formulation           Temp.                Viscosity                         Temp.                              Temp.                                   Air Flow                                        Speed     Number           (° C.)                (cps) pH (° C.)                              (° C.)                                   m.sup.3 /h                                        (rpm)     __________________________________________________________________________     I     65   2,500/65° C.                      -- 165  100  1,500                                        8,500     II    70     500/70° C.                      6.9                         165  100  1,500                                        8,500     III   70   1,060/70°C.                      7.2                         160  100  1,500                                        8,500     __________________________________________________________________________

2% silicic acid (type FK 320 DS) was added in each trial.

Pressure inside the tower was always about -4 mbar.

The subject invention has been described in terms of its preferred embodiments. However, one skilled in the art will recognize various alternative embodiments having read the specification. These variations are to be considered within the scope and spirit of the invention which is only to be limited by the claims which follow and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for procucing a composition which comprisesa) incorporating vitamin E into an aqueous solution having a hydroxypropyl methylcellulose primary polymer dissolved therein, to form an aqueous mixture of the vitamin E in the solution; b) heat setting the primary polymer under mixing conditions while the primary polymer is in the aqueous mixture, to encapsulate the vitamin E within the primary polymer and form a primary particle in the aqueous mixture; and c) drying the aqueous mixture produced in step b) to yield the composition.
 2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said vitamin E is vitamin E acetate.
 3. A method for producing a composition which comprisesa) incorporating vitamin E into an aqueous solution having a hydroxypropyl methylcellulose primary polymer dissolved therein, to form an aqueous mixture of the vitamin E in the solution; b) heat setting the primary polymer under mixing conditions while the primary polymer is in the aqueous mixture, to encapsulate the vitamin E within the primary polymer and form a primary particle in the aqueous mixture; c) adding a secondary polymer to the aqueous mixture under mixing conditions to farther encapsulate at least one primary particle within the secondary polymer, and d) drying the aqueous mixture produced in step c) to yield the composition. 